Snow
by QueenRiley
Summary: Luke's first experience with snow.


Luke wasn't entirely sure why he was outside exactly. Yes, there was a thin layer of snow on the ground. Sarah Jane said it wasn't the most common thing to have snow so early in the season. Luke didn't know why it was so special though. It was just crystallized frozen rain after all.

Maria said it was pretty. He supposed she did have a point. It was aesthetically pleasing to see the big fat flakes fall slowly from the sky, to see their little corner of the world slowly being covered in white. It did change the landscape of the garden in a somewhat visually pleasing manner. He could see the appeal based on that.

But no, it wasn't enough to stand in the warmth of the house and watch it from the window. They felt the need to drag him outside to "play" in it. He'd gotten the hang of what they called play and fun, but he still wasn't sure what to do with snow. It wasn't as if they could bike or skate on it and bouncing a ball would be pointless. There weren't any hills so sledding was out of the question. Even if sledding was an option, he wasn't entirely sure he wanted to go hurling down a hill at excessive speeds only to crash unprotected into a bank of frozen water. The draw of it was lost on him.

So he just stood there. In the cold. With the snow falling around him.

"Luke, don't just stand there. Have some fun!" Sarah Jane beckoned him. She was running around with Maria and Clyde. They'd made what they called snow angels by actually lying down in the snow and making exaggerated arm and leg movements. They'd suffered red and tingly extremities by attempting to gather enough snow to build a tiny little snowman. And now they were trying to get him to freeze with them? All he wanted to do was go back in the house and warm up.

"What's the point?" he asked. Maria grabbed at his hand.

"It's fun! Play. Here, make a snowball," she said, bending down to scoop up the little bit on the ground near his feet. He just stood still and watched her.

"And what do I do with it?" he asked. Maria stared at him as if he'd grown a second head. He hated when she looked at him like that, as if he'd just asked the silliest question in the world and she couldn't believe he couldn't figure out the answer.

"You throw it." She packed the snow into a small ball and handed it to him. He couldn't feel the cold through his gloves, but little bits of snow stuck to threads and clung to the edges. They would surely melt quickly and make a mess of his gloves. He looked at the snowball and then back at Maria. She was waiting for him to do something. Throw it, she had said, so he did. It smashed dully against the fence and he still didn't see what was so fun about it. Clyde laughed at him.

"No, you throw it AT somebody," he said. Luke furrowed his brow as best he could beneath his wool cap.

"Why would I do that?" he asked.

"Because it's fun," Clyde said. Before Luke could ask yet again what was so fun about playing with crystallized frozen rain, a thick snowball pelted him in the back. He could feel it falling off his jacket, little bits of snow running down his neck and into his shirt. It was cold!

He whipped around and Clyde was nearly doubled over laughing. He shivered and was about to yell when Maria thrust another snowball into his hand. She motioned to Clyde and closed his hand around the snowball. Luke pulled back and aimed. The snowball hit Clyde square in the chest. Clyde sputtered in surprise, but he was smiling.

"That's the spirit, Luke!" Sarah Jane called out from near the swing. She was building an entire little snowman family on it and seemed to be having the time of her life. Her cheeks were red from the cold but he had never seen her smile so wide. Maria laughed beside him, her braids bouncing as she danced away, twirling with the snow as it floated to the ground. She looked like an angel. He could feel the warmth spread through him, their happiness making him fill with joy. If anything could delight them so, well, it must be wonderful. Clyde hit him with another snowball, much lower on his coat this time, and he stooped to assemble his arsenal for retaliation.

Maybe there was fun to be had with this snow stuff after all.


End file.
